Juan Carlo Intriago Zambrano

Profile

Juan Carlo is a transdisciplinary PhD candidate from Ecuador. He bears a strong affinity for research focused on the Global South. He is a TU Delft | Global Initiative fellow and ambassador.

He obtained in 2007 a BArch (best graduate honours) from San Gregorio University. He earned in 2017 an MSc in Urban Environmental Management (cum laude) from Wageningen University & Research. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Water Management at TU Delft.

Research

Juan Carlo’s current research aims to investigate the uptake of sustainable irrigation technologies in smallholder farming communities of Nepal and Indonesia. By using Q methodology, he has explored smallholder discourses on the adoption of the novel hydro-powered water pump known as the Barsha Pump. He focuses now on studying innovative business models that can facilitate the sustained adoption of similar technologies while effectively dealing with adoption barriers.

Current research:

Water Lifting Water: A Comprehensive Spatiotemporal Review on the Hydro-Powered Water Pumping Technologies (https://doi.org/10.3390/w11081677)
Co-creation of affordable and clean pumped irrigation for smallholders: lessons from Nepal and Malawi (https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2020.052)

Previous research:

Agricultural reuse of municipal wastewater through an integral water reclamation management (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.02.011)

DARE-TU: Developing Agriculture and Renewable Energy with the Turbine Pump
Doctoral research funded by TU Delft | Global Initiative. This project explores how innovative business models may stimulate the adoption of renewable energy-powered water pumps for irrigation in smallholder communities of the Global South.

Clean energy-based smallholder pumped irrigation: A toolkit for users and practitioners
Short-term project funded by TU Delft | Global Initiative. It aims to develop a holistic toolkit—oriented to users and practitioners—that facilitates the uptake process of renewable energy-powered water pumps. As such, it encompasses a number of variables pertaining to the innovation (technical), to the adopters (socioeconomic and cultural), and to the broader context (context-appropriate business models).

EUREKA Eurostars project 113393: SHIFT! - Save Water, Save Energy, Save Cost! Sustainable Hydropowered Irrigation From Integrated Turbine Pump
The project aims to develop and test the Integrated Turbine Pump (ITP). This innovative hydro-powered water pump relies on the potential energy of small drops in canals and rivers to create water pressure for agricultural irrigation. Thus, the ITP does not require any external input to operate such fossil fuels or grid electricity.

The Global South as test-bed for new innovations: Opportunities and challenges for Sustainable Development Goals
Short-term project led by the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Centre for Frugal Innovation in Africa. It aims to gather insights of potential benefits and (ethical) risks of Global North-driven innovations through test-beds in countries of the Global South.

E4C fellow – cohort 2021. Sponsored by Engineering for Change and Autodesk Foundation